MIKE BONNER PHOTO It could cost Spartanburg County $300,000 an acre to line and install runoff collection systems at landfills such as this one off Highway 56. Landfill rules could pile costs on Upstate counties

Friday

Jan 18, 1991 at 12:01 AM

It seems so simple to just throw something out or unload it at the dump, but complying with proposed rules to make landfills safer for the environment could cost Upstate counties millions. The changes could cost Spartanburg County another $2.4 million a year - more than doubling this year's budget, according to industry estimates. Landfill costs also could rise $1 million a year in Cherokee and Union counties. Installing plastic liners, ground water monitoring wells and systems to collect liquid runoff and methane gas would dramatically increase the cost of building and operating South Carolina's 78 municipal landfills. Half of the state's 46 counties will use up existing landfill space within 10 years, state lawmakers said. "We're all going to have to come to grips with it," said Dale Robinson, Union County supervisor. "Landfills are going to be an ever-escalating expenditure for local gov ernments in the next two to five years." County officials agree that dirt-cheap fees of $5 to $10 a ton to dump trash are certain to rise along with operating costs. Neither county officials nor the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has firm estimates of how much it may cost local governments to adhere to regulations outlined by the EPA in August 1988. "I'm not getting really concerned," said Chuck Smith, solid waste superintendent in Spartanburg County. "We don't know what (rules) we're going to end up with, so we're still waiting to see." President Bush's Office of Management and Budget has been reviewing the EPA proposal since September. "The information we have is that the OMB is having some very serious concerns with costs imposed by these regulations," said Mike Cone, director of the S.C. Association of Counties. "County officials are very much in favor of a solid waste management plan for the state of South Carolina, but they want citizens to be fully aware of the costs." A bill reintroduced in the General Assembly would impose many of the new requirements if passed, moving South Carolina ahead of the federal government in landfill regulations. Sponsored by state Sen. Tom Moore, D-Clearwater, and state Rep. Harriet Keyserling, D-Beaufort, the bill sets a recycling goal of 25 percent, a 30 percent reduction in the the amount of waste sent to landfills and bans several types of non-recyclable packaging. A similar bill died in the Legislature last year due mostly to stiff opposition from the Association of Counties. The association supports the new bill because it doesn't include tipping fees that would go to a state trust fund and gives counties more say over the need for additional landfill space, Cone said. While county officials wait for the final word on stricter rules, some private waste haulers already are paying the higher price. Waste Management Inc. of South Carolina is installing a liner and liquid runoff collection system on a 15-acre portion of its landfill near the intersection of U.S. Highway 29 and Interstate 85. It costs between $225,000 and $400,000 an acre to grade a landfill, install a heavy-duty plastic liner with reinforcing mesh and perforated pipes to collect and treat liquid runoff, said Jeff Jackson, an accountant at the company's Spartanburg office. Waste Management is spending $300,000 an acre at the local site, which accepts household and industrial wastes. State Department of Health and Environmental Control officials said conclusions reached by other companies show that Waste Management's cost per acre is a reliable figure. "We just think it's the better way to go long term," Jackson said. "We want to be out in front as far as being environmentally sound. It may be cheaper now not to line that portion of the landfill, but we don't want to have to dig it up and remediate ground water problems later." In addition to the liner, 30- to 40-foot ground water monitoring wells usually cost $1,800 to $2,400 apiece to install, said David Nichols, vice president of RMT Inc., an environmental consulting company in Greenville. Analyzing water samples for heavy metals, volatile organic compounds and other contaminants cost about $500 each, with tests needed at least twice a year. Costs skyrocket if contaminated ground water must be pumped out and treated. Spartanburg County's two landfills near Wellford and Camp Croft, containing 336 acres, are filling up at the rate of 8 acres a year. About 211 acres haven't been used, enough space to last 26 years. "With recycling, we're hoping to extend that," Smith said. Last year, people in Spartanburg County recycled about 2 million pounds of paper, glass, aluminum, plastic jugs and appliances, according to county officials and Keep Spartanburg Clean. The two agencies sold the recyclables for about $18,500. Running the landfills and hauling trash costs $2.3 million a year, and is paid for with tipping fees of $10 a ton at the landfill and charging each household $10 a year. The annual cost could rise to $4.7 million if the county has to spend $300,000 an acre to comply with stricter regulations. County officials said fees will have to rise to meet operating costs. Cherokee County's 40-acre landfill will fill up between 1993 and 1995, county Administrator Joey Preston said. It's going to cost an estimated $4 million to close the old landfill and open another one. Cherokee County has purchased 279 nearby acres for a new landfill. A charge of $5 to dump a 2-ton load of trash is sure to rise to cover increases in the landfill's annual operating budget of $822,800, county officials said. Union County has most of its 75-acre landfill remaining, and fills up 3 to 4 acres a year, county supervisor Robinson said. The annual operating budget of $140,000 could rise to more than $1 million under proposed regulations. HITRAS.H

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